Venezuela seizes a General Motors plant amid anti-government protests

Source: Washington Post

Venezuela seizes a General Motors plant amid anti-government protests

By Nick Miroff April 20 at 10:27 AM

Venezuelan authorities seized a General Motors plant Wednesday, an unexpected move that appeared aimed at provoking U.S. authorities and distracting attention from intensifying protests against President Nicolás Maduro.

The plant takeover happened on the same day that huge crowds of demonstrators marched against Maduro’s government, calling for new elections and a return to democratic rule.

GM called the expropriation of its plant “an illegal judicial seizure of its assets” and vowed legal action to defend itself. The company is not the first foreign firm whose assets have been confiscated by Venezuelan authorities, but those actions have typically been preceded by repeated public threats from the socialist government.

The Venezuelan government has offered no explanation for its seizure of the GM plant, and the timing of the move suggests Maduro may be looking to escalate his confrontation with the United States to try to move attention away from the intensifying protests against him.
....

Nick Miroff is a Latin America correspondent for The Post, roaming from the U.S.-Mexico borderlands to South America’s southern cone. He has been a staff writer since 2006. Follow @nickmiroff
https://twitter.com/nickmiroff

9. I doubt it too, but it seemed strange to me that posters did not think of obvious oil

At one time Venezuela was the USA's biggest source of imported oil. I think that it has declined dramatically in recent years, partly due to fracking in the US increasing domestic supply and partly due to instability in the supply from Venezuela and partly due to a semi-boycott during the Chavez dictatorship.

12. OIL

Yes, OIL, and tones of it. Venezuela has one of the biggest reserves in the World.

And I believe the Venezuelans would welcome a USA intervention at this time to get rid of the regime...Because of the previous posts on this chain, it sounds like none of you know a whole lot about Venezuela, but its geographic location is key to the USA...Have any of you ever pumped gas at a CITGO station? Venezuela used to own them...

All the Castro infiltration into South American countries started in Venezuela, because of its oil and geographic location, and now South America is a mess...I still question why the USA was, and still is, so dormant on the situation in Venezuela, but there are rumors that the Banks are benefiting from the chaos in that country.

13. Not sure if that was a joke

17. Forgot the sarcasm thingy just going on the past history of the USA with South America.

Was thinking of going on a tour of Guatemala. Did some reading on their experience with the USA and
decided I would rather stay away from there. If I was them I wouldn't welcome people form the USA myself.

16. I always thought it would be funny

for the US to seize Citgo, which is pretty much their lifeline in the US. They take our white elephant, we take their golden goose.
I know it'll never happen, considering the fool we have in the White House, and the fact that Maduro pretty much pawned Citgo to Russia, but it's still a funny "what if?" kind of thought.